Saturday, June 29, 2013

More Adventures in KL...Politics and Food.

Briefing of the 2103 Malaysian election results at a local think tank, CENSE.

Late night snack at the Chalk and Cheese downstairs. Rice porridge in a clay pot with century egg. Comfort food, indeed. Reminds me of the rice porridge I ate growing up.  

Fist time trying southern Indian food at Bangsar Village II. The food was amazing. 

Malay food vendors at the National Forest. By far the best Malay food  I've had in KL.

Taking a break to pose for group pictures while hiking up to the canopy walk  at the Malaysian National Forest. 


View of the city from the canopy walk. 

Friday, June 28, 2013

Gender issue in Islam, Political Strategy and Enjoying KL


After an overview of Malaysia’s political and economic history the last two days, we began peeling back the different layers of Malaysian society and investigate the vastly complex political and social dynamics of the country.  Through site visits to Sisters in Islam and Center for Strategic Engagement, we were introduced to the role of Islam in Malaysian society and the strategic landscape of its political system.  While ethnicity has played a central role throughout Malaysian society, religion has also been a major role in political and cultural identity.  Furthermore, the current political landscape is showing a shift in the dynamics that drive Malaysian politics.

Malaysia is unique in the fact that both ethnicity and religion are tied to national identity.  To be Malay one not only needs to be of Malay ethnicity but must also be a Muslim.  Islam is such an important part of Malaysian identity that being of the Islamic faith makes it extremely easy to gain citizenship in this country.  Islam has become more and more important in Malaysia and there is a desire to integrate Islamic values even more into Malaysian society.

Executive Director Ratna explains how she became involved with Sisters in Islam.


At Sisters in Islam (SIS) we were introduced to the Malaysian perspective of a growing international issue: Gender and Islam.  Generally, Islam has been seen as a religion that perpetuates the traditional role of women and unfriendly to women’s rights.  There is a movement that is trying to push forward a more progressive form of Islam using the Qur’an and Islamic studies to show that women’s rights and Islam are in fact compatible.  While issues vary throughout the world, Sisters in Islam have taken it upon themselves to tackle this issue in Malaysia.  They mean to show that women’s mistreatment is not validated in the Qur’an.  These issues span a wide range of Islamic family law but in particular Sisters in Islam are working against polygamy and domestic violence.   This has taken interesting form in Malaysia where women are free to work and can be found in leadership positions in Malaysian companies, managing both men and women.  While they may command in the workplace, at home they are still expected to be subservient.  The most inspiring part of visiting Sisters in Islam is seeing the bravery and strength of the woman who carry on this work.  They face ridicule from more conservative parts of society, labeled as dangerous and deviant, and suffer public scrutiny and criticism.  Our guest speaker, executive director Ratna Osman, told the story about how her son, after hearing Sisters of Islam being denounce in mosques throughout the country, asked her why she was working against God.

Originally a banned book, this copy of "Muslim Women" has been unbanned.



The class then feasted at a Southern Indian Restaurant, Nirvana Maju, where we did indeed find food Nirvana.  Professor Heng took the lead in ordering a collection of various Indian dishes of lamb, fish, chicken, pickled vegetables, fried bitter melon and Mango Lassi.  We all walked out the restaurant with extended bellies and big smiles.  Thankfully our next destination required us to take a short walk so that we could digest our food before our next guest speaker.

Co-founder and Director of Center for Strategic Engagement, Rita Sim, gave us a very enlightening macro view of Malaysian politics.  As a political consultancy firm, they have been on the forefront of Malaysia politics and their research allowed us to gain insight into the current political situation.  It is an exciting time to studying Malaysian politics since they just had elections this year where there was a large shift to the opposition coalition, making inroads against the ruling coalition, Barisian Nasional, who has been in power since 1969.  The largest party of the opposition is the Democratic Action Party (DAP), which has support from the Chinese Malaysian community and is a spin-off of Singapore’s People’s Action Party (PAP).  This coalition is supported by the PKR, mostly made up of Malay urban middle class, and PAS, an Islamic party.  The complexities of this system is a bit out of the scope of this blog, but there are a few facts that can provide a basic understanding.  UMNO is the largest part in the ruling coalition and work with the Malaysia Chinese Association (MCA).  However, MCA has lost its base, where many Chinese have jumped to the DAP.  The opposition coalition is a hodge podge of political parties, mostly united in its fight to get Barisian Nasional out of power.  However, they also have a desire to get rid of the NEP, an economic policy that has been in place since 1969, whose economic development plan included special rights for Malays.  Many Malaysians believe it is time to get rid of this policy.  While Barisian Nasional lost the popular vote, they did not lose the majority in parliament (parliament members are based on district, not population).  BN did lose their 2/3 majority.  According to Rita, everyone was unhappy with the elections: the opposition did not win a majority and the ruling coalition lost its overwhelming majority.    Major political divisions are generational, rural versus urban and ethnicity.  The younger generation, urban and ethnic minorities tend to support the opposition.  Perhaps one of the most interesting survey result was that an overwhelming majority of women support a UMNO and PAS alliance, both parties supporting a stronger Islamic state.  This was a big point of discussion for the class, especially after just coming from the Sisters in Islam visit.  While we can only speculate as to why this is, it seems that many feel stronger traditional values would provide a better, more moral society.

Outside of these complex intellectual endeavors, the class has been enjoying the entertainment this city provides from late night street food, large mega malls and delicious desserts.

China O Cafe.  Delicious Nyonya Chinese food, set in a 1940s China ambiance.

"Snowflake" shaved milk ice at Mid Valley Mall.


Late pita and pasta outside HELP University.  "The Humble Chef"



Thursday, June 27, 2013

Smog Blog part 2: It Gets Better



View of KL from HELP University Residence
June 26th 2013
API 100



View of KL from HELP University Residence
June 27th 2013
API 53

Shifting winds and other meteorological activity seem to be slowly improving the haze situation. According to the Malaysian Department of Environment, air pollution in the KL area has returned to acceptable levels.  

First night out exploring the city by going to dinner in Chinatown

We ate at the Old China Cafe restaurant. A very popular place among  KL locals. The food is Chinese but have  influence from Malay cuisine. 

The local Giant supermarket nearby campus. It sells everything you can think of that you'll need. 

Indian buffet at the Ali Maju. There are several Ali Maju's near HELP's campus. It serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

View of the city from my dorm room on the 20th floor. We are lucky to be on the penthouse. 

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Black 505 Rally



On June 22, 2013 supporters of the Opposition rallied against the alleged misconduct by the Election Commission during the 13th General Election. It was called '505' because the election was held on May 5, 2013. 

Love this woman.

Also, the guy in the top left corner was so weird and wouldn't leave me alone.




The only other foreigner I saw at the rally, who is obviously the dopest person I've never met. 


A native Malay ^^



 The cutest thing 



                                                She was so pretty and I love this picture.




 People thought I was a reporter and would ask me to take pictures of them..with them..whatever




                         Some nice folks.



"I don't want a corrupt government who lets political parties empty our national treasury- I don't want foreigners voting in the election- I don't want a Chinese minister who is not for the chinese people- I don't want highway tolls or car prices to increase- I am Chinese, Am I wrong?"


The current government is Barison Nasional (BN)...which is why you'll see signs saying Blackout Nasional. 
Bangla Nasional refers to the allegations that Bangladeshis were given citizenship in exchange for votes.

Smog Blog part 1: Smoke on the Water




Air traffic control tower at Changi International Airport, Singapore
June 25th 2013
PSI - 87


Over the wing of a flight from Singapore to KL
June 25th 2013
API - 189


View of KL from HELP University Residence
June 25th 2013
API - 186


Slash and Burn practices on the Indonesian island of Sumatra and unfavorable wind conditions have led to a serious health crisis in Malaysia and Singapore. Schools on the peninsula have been closed intermittently as air quality has decreased to hazardous levels. Though the haze is slowly getting better, many still find it uncomfortable to be outside for long periods of time.

There is no standard index of air quality. Singapore's PSI (Pollution Standards Index) is similar but not identical to Malaysia's API (Air Pollution Index.) 


And so the program begins...

American University represented at HELP univeristy.  
American University is a partner University of HELP.


After a month in Jakarta, I take an early morning flight and end up in another metropolitan, Kuala Lumpur (KL), ready to start our Study Abroad program.  There are 8 students in the program, 4 men and 4 women, all from different backgrounds and fields of study.  We will be studying globalization, traditional and non-traditional security and governance with respect to Malaysia, Indonesia, the ASEAN region and US and Chinese relations.  An ambitious agenda, made possible by our professor, Pek Koon Heng, a native Chinese Malay.

Getting off the plane, the first thing I noticed was the haze!  There has been fires in Indonesia, on the island of Sumatra and has caused terrible haze here in KL and in Singapore.  Everyone spoke about the pollution in Jakarta, but since the haze, the air quality is even worse in KL!  However, let's not get caught up with this, although it is the major issue of the day.  The diversity and vibrant dynamism of KL is amazing and I'm excited to explore it through this program.

Compared to Indonesia, the Chinese influence is much more apparent here in KL.  Radio stations are in Chinese (both Cantonese and Mandarin) and walking up and down the street you can here Chinese dialects being spoken.  The amount of English speakers also far outweighs Indonesia.
We are staying at HELP University, in a beautiful residence, on the top floor of the dormitories.  This floor is usually reserved for visiting professors and scholars and has great amentities including a huge TV with all the movie channels and a great view of KL.


Professor Heng, The Group and The president of HELP

Today after meeting the President of HELP and taking a quick tour of campus, we had our first lecture.  Although Malaysia has a long rich history, essentially many of the issues boil down to one thing: ethnicity.  Since its independence from the British, the struggle to find equilibrium between the large Chinese population and the Malay population has colored most of its political history.  The Chinese has generally been the elite class being the main business owners in Malaysia.  Particularly after the riots on May 13, 1969, policies favoring Malays in everything from quotas for government posts, interest rates on loans and educational scholarships have been in place.  Even HELP University itself is a private university, established because many other ethnic Chinese and Indians were unable to gain admission to public universities.  While the ruling party, UMNO, who favors these Malay special privileges, has held power since independence, we are witnessing a turning point in Malaysian politics.  An opposition coalition, comprised of Chinese and an emerging Malaysian urban middle class, has been gaining more power within the government, winning the popular vote in the 2013 elections and gaining 7 seats in the parliament.  While it has yet to gain a majority, the concept of “one Malaysia” and equal rights for all Malays is gaining traction.  It is through this lens that we will be having site visits and guest lectures by some of the leading experts and practitioners in Malaysian economics and politics.  It is going to be a fascinating learning experience.

Learning from the vast knowledge of Professor Heng


Then enjoying a typical Malaysian meal of rice with various dishes of your choosing.